I, the transmigrated villain, please wait, gentle master.

Chapter 171 Kun Gang Has a Remaining Gold from Yu Pu ( )

"It's been a long time. I'm sorry to bother you today, Yuan Hong." These were the first words Ji Cizhang said to the county magistrate.

Yuan Hong, the "Hong" in "great fortune and boundless aspirations," is such a name that it's too grand for most people to handle.

This is not his real name.

Many years ago, the eldest son of the Yuan family suddenly changed his name under the guidance of a master. As for the specific reason, of course, he would not let outsiders know.

Ji Cizhang also did not care about other people's private affairs.

He just felt that his new name sounded terribly off, and with this strange sense of incongruity, he began, "I've come to visit you today specifically to ask you for a favor..."

"Wait a moment. What did you call me just now?" Yuan Hong sat down to drink tea, and when he heard him address him by his "honorable name," he put down his teacup.

"Yuan Hong, Brother Yuan." Ji Cizhang stood below the hall, certain that he had not called out the wrong name, but from the other party's expression, he sensed a subtle emotion, probably disgust.

His face turned white then red, red then green, green then black.

When Yuan Hong saw his "colorful" appearance, he knew that he had realized the rules and should learn them.

How could a commoner like him dare to call out the magistrate's esteemed name so casually?! Moreover, when asking for a favor, one must have the proper attitude.

Ji Cizhang hesitated for only a moment, clenched his fist, then relaxed it, and knelt down.

"This humble citizen begs, I beg Your Excellency to save my son... save my son..."

Every word was a test of courage and an interrogation of self-respect. He was afraid that he would get up and run away halfway through his sentence!

So he kept his head down, staring at the crack in the brickwork, imagining that he had already crawled inside and underground, and that no one could see him like this—it was nothing more than self-deception, incredibly foolish.

He's the kind of person who's as arrogant as can be. He can't lie, he can't deceive anyone, he can't kneel down, and he can't beg anyone. But for that little vengeful ghost who was born to collect a debt from him, he did everything he couldn't do, everything he couldn't bring himself to do, everything he couldn't let go of, everything he couldn't lose in terms of self-esteem. He went all out and lost everything.

He really wanted to just smash his head against a wall and die.

"Of course, of course. It's just as well; I haven't been back to Lingxi Village for a long time... How have you been, Miss Liu?"

What seemed like a casual question ignited Ji Cizhang's fury. His first wife's surname was Liu, so Yuan Hong's address of "Miss Liu" was surely referring to his first wife, Liu Qingxu.

Yuan Hong didn't use terms like "your wife" or "your esteemed wife" at all, but instead used the three words "Miss Liu," as if in his eyes, Liu Qingxu was still that unmarried young woman from back then, and he could still freely pursue her, love her, marry her, and be a match for her, completely ignoring the existence of someone else beside her.

The implication is: In my eyes, she has absolutely nothing to do with you, Mr. Ji. You are neither her husband nor she your wife!

Ji Cizhang really wanted to stand up and slap them both.

Then, he laughed loudly and went out the door.

But being under a low eaves, he had no choice but to bow his head.

All I could say, with a heavy heart, was, "She's fine... no, she, she..."

Following him was not good, not good at all, extremely bad. Her life was as miserable as that of Xing Tian, ​​the mythical general, without a head.

He felt utterly ashamed in front of his old friend and rival.

I feel increasingly ashamed.

"You don't need to say more, I know a little about it. I'll reluctantly go with you."

When the county magistrate arrived at Lingxi Village, he addressed the villagers, saying, "Do this and do that, and the matter will be settled."

Ji Yuanbao's life was saved, but he was severely beaten by his father and couldn't get out of bed for several days. He didn't remember how the Yuan family had come and gone in such a grand manner, but he did remember that his mother was restless and unable to sit still.

It was from that day on that his father's mental illness worsened, and he just happened to be a troublemaker. If he wasn't disciplined for three days, he would climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles, always finding a way to make his father furious.

Under the repeated torment of his "illness," Ji Cizhang could barely control himself during the day, but at night, he was doomed. He couldn't sleep without drinking, and once he drank, he became a complete freak, yelling and physically abusing others.

The burning of the ancestral hall shattered Ji Cizhang's trust in Ji Yuanbao. From then on, no matter what trouble the little guy caused, Ji Cizhang would not listen to a word of his explanation. Even if he was not at fault, he would still have to accept the punishment.

The already precarious father-son relationship between the two became even thinner and weaker, leaving Liu Qingxu caught in the middle, feeling very uncomfortable.

As a mother, Liu Qingxu was naturally the most reluctant to see her son get hurt, so she always stood in front of Li Tingyun. Ji Cizhang's slap landed on her face, and both of them were stunned.

Li Tingyun pushed him away desperately.

He went too far and started punching and kicking his father.

His father pressed his hand against his forehead, rendering him helpless with his short arms and legs. He unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, but couldn't even catch the hem of his clothes.

He glared fiercely at his father.

Ji Cizhang shoved his head away.

Finally, he uttered those harsh words: "A cursed scourge upon the family!"

"He's not!" Liu Qingxu immediately retorted, raising her voice, "Wake up!"

Ji Cizhang sneered, "I'm perfectly clear-headed! He isn't, so what about you?"

Liu Qingxu's chest heaved, and she was having trouble breathing. "Fine, fine, what are you thinking? Why don't you explain yourself clearly!"

Ji Cizhang pointed at the air and said cruelly, "That Taoist priest was absolutely right! Our relationship is a cursed one, a cursed one! And this unfilial son... you shouldn't have given birth to him at all! How could he have been reborn as my son? How could I have such a son?!"

Li Tingyun clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost dug her palms raw. "I don't recognize you at all..."

Before he could even utter the word "Dad," he was kicked out the door in the chest. His small body crashed through two door panels, slamming onto the hard, muddy ground. A foul smell wafted from his lungs, and with a "whoosh," he coughed up blood.

Ji Cizhang kicked him as easily as kicking a cat or a dog, and showed no concern when he saw him vomiting blood.

He shouted sternly, "Children shouldn't interrupt adults!"

He grabbed Liu Qingxu, who was rushing out the door, and said, "He has no respect for his elders and should be left out in the cold all night as punishment!"

"Winter is almost here, don't you know how cold it is at night? You kicked him like that, and you won't let him get treatment or bring him inside. Are you trying to kill him?!"

Liu Qingxu's hands were gripped tightly by him, and she was extremely anxious.

"Is he still your son? How could you be so heartless?!"

"What if it isn't?" Ji Cizhang asked in a low voice.

Liu Qingxu froze. "...Do you know what you're saying?"

"Is it possible that back in the academy, you and Yuan Hong... um!"

Liu Qingxu raised her foot and kicked him hard in the crotch.

That force was incredible! "You're shameless!"

Having almost been crippled by his wife, Ji Cizhang's mind was in complete disarray.

I found a secluded corner, slunk away like a quail, letting the gecko crawl over my shoulder and the spider spin a web on my head.

He became withdrawn and settled down, and gradually, his vision cleared.

Liu Qingxu carried her son back to bed, examined his injuries, took his pulse, and prescribed medicine.

It is said that long illness makes one a doctor. She was born with a hidden illness and spent her childhood in a jar of medicine, so she taught herself some medical skills.

She threw the written prescription at Ji Cizhang's face, "Go get the medicine."

Poor little Yuanbao, his internal organs were damaged, which is why he vomited blood. His injuries were quite severe.

Ji Cizhang didn't sleep for three days and three nights. By the time his son woke up, it was already the fourth night.

He didn't go inside, but stayed outside watching the stove to boil the medicine. In the middle of the night, he was still out in the northwest wind, shivering from the cold.

It wasn't until the fifth night that Liu Qingxu allowed him to enter the house.

Is it cold outside?

"cold."

"is it?"

"No...it's not cold..."

"Then you can just keep drying outside!"

"Yes, yes, I will obey."

Liu Qingxu tossed him a blanket.

Another night passed, and Ji Cizhang sat on the steps outside the house wrapped in a quilt, craning his neck to look at the stars and the moon until his eyes were almost blind.

Liu Qingxu suddenly pushed open the door and came out, sitting down next to him. Ji Cizhang shared half of the warm quilt with her.

The two did not exchange a single word, but stood shoulder to shoulder, head to head. The stars and the wind of this night, this moment of peace, were so precious to them.

Ji Cizhang said, "...I really want to die."

Liu Qingxu chuckled, "Then I'll go with you."

"No, you don't have to stay with me!"

Ji Cizhang hurriedly said, "I wanted to tell you that I probably won't get better for the rest of my life, so maybe... maybe..."

Let's get a divorce.

"Absolutely not!" Liu Qingxu was a very gentle person, but at that moment, her refusal was so resolute that she neither waited for Ji Cizhang to finish speaking nor gave him a chance to say another word.

"If you want to die, then go ahead and die. Anyway, once you're dead, you won't be able to control me anymore."

"I'm going to find you no matter what, I'll go wherever you go, even to the underworld or the deepest hell."

"If we can't be together in this life, then we'll wait for the next life, and the life after that..."

"Isn't it said that 'true lovers will eventually be united'? I believe that one day, God will grant our wish."

Ji Cizhang's face turned red as he listened.

"No, I really can't stand hearing you say these things. We're an old married couple, so please, please don't say such direct sweet nothings anymore..."

"What, do you think I'm being too sentimental, or too cheesy?"

“I think you…” Ji Cizhang paused, “are too stubborn!”

"I also think you're too stupid!"

I think you're the 'stupid' one!

Ji Cizhang scoffed, "A woman who doesn't consider her future, but ruins her life for some vague and ephemeral thing like love... You're really stupid."

"I told you, you're too stupid." Liu Qingxu's eyelashes trembled slightly. "You knew I had a hidden illness before we got married, but you were willing to use your heart's blood as a medicine ingredient rather than give up this marriage contract. Aren't you too stupid?"

She also brought up an old story: "Nine years ago, just before the imperial examination, an accident happened. To save me, you lost your right hand and had to write with your left hand, which caused you to fail the exam. From then on, one bad thing after another came. Have you ever regretted it? You saved me, but it was a prophecy that came true?"

“It’s my own bad luck, why should I blame you?” Ji Cizhang said without hesitation.

"I know you won't blame me, that's why I called you stupid! You never blame me for being a burden, how could I possibly turn around and leave you and abandon you?" Liu Qingxu said with a smile, her voice trembling slightly at the end.

Ji Cizhang was silent for a moment, then asked her, "Did I say something incoherent when I was having an episode? Like, blaming you for bringing bad luck to your husband and children, saying that the little fat boy was born to be lonely and unlucky, cursing you and your son for being unlucky or something... Please don't believe me, just pretend I'm talking nonsense! I would only say such stinky things if I ate shit!"

"You're making yourself look even dumber by saying all this," Liu Qingxu said in a low voice. "Of course I know that's not what you really think, no need to say more. And those last two sentences of yours were disgusting."

She frowned. "Have you been corrupted by Yuanbao?"

Ji Cizhang was both amused and exasperated. "Me, learning bad habits from him? Do you think that makes sense? I'm his father, he's my son. Only a son can resemble his father, not the other way around."